A 16-year-old boy drowned yesterday after plunging into a water-filled quarry that attracts young people despite warnings from authorities to stay away.

The teenager was hanging out with friends at the edge of the quarry when he apparently tripped, said fire officials. He apparently struck his head on an outcropping of rock before hitting the water, officials said.

A team of State Police divers searching the quarry's waters recovered the victim's body on an underwater ledge about 40 feet below the surface, the officials said.

He was pronouced dead at Milford Regional Hospital at 5:10 p.m.

Fire officials said the quarry, located behind Louisa Lake and an apartment complex, is 120 feet deep in places. It is filled with underwater ledges that make diving and swimming precarious. Even hiking around the quarry is forbidden by local authorities.

"This is a reminder to kids not to be going into that area," said Margaret Care , a Milford Fire Department dispatcher. "You don't know what's in that water. It's a problem every summer."

She said that there are "keep out" postings around the quarries and that local authorities stress its dangers every year.